UK to end all COVID-19 travel rules ahead of Easter break

LONDON, March 15 (BNA) The British government said that all remaining coronavirus measures for travelers, including passenger locating forms and a requirement that unvaccinated people be tested for COVID-19 before and after their arrival, will expire on Friday to make it easier to go on vacation. for the school holidays.

Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps said the changes will mean people “can travel as they did in the old days,” according to the Associated Press (AP).

Passenger locator forms require people to fill in their travel details, UK address and vaccination status.

British airlines welcomed the news, such as Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, which said they had begun easing requirements for wearing masks on some routes.

The announcement came as coronavirus infections rose across the UK, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, for the first time since the end of January. The latest government figures released showed that more than 444,000 new cases were recorded in the past seven days, an increase of 48% from the previous week.

The number of hospital patients with COVID-19 is also on the rise, although it remains well below the peak recorded in January. Scientists say many of the new infections in England were a more transmissible subtype of the omicron variant.

Health Minister Sajid Javid said the rise in infections was “expected” as people socialize more after all local coronavirus-related restrictions, including legal requirements for anyone who tested positive to self-isolate, ended on February 24.

“We will continue to monitor and track potential new variants, and maintain a reserve of measures that can be deployed quickly if needed to keep us safe,” Javid said.

HF